Aretha Franklin's estate is still being fought five years after her death.
After Franklin failed to leave behind a detailed estate plan, a probate court hearing involving three of her four sons began Monday in Michigan.
The Queen of Soul passed away in 2018 at 76 due to a rare form of cancer. Two separate wills are at the centre of the legal conflict. Sabrina Owens, the estate's representative at the time, discovered many handwritten wills by Franklin at her suburban Detroit home shortly after her death.
One of the documents was discovered beneath a couch cushion, while another was discovered in a locked cabinet.
Two of her sons, Kecalf Franklin and Edward Franklin, want the March 31, 2014 document to be recognized as her formal will, while another son, Ted White II, wants a document from 2010.
Clarence Franklin, Franklin's fourth son, has special needs, is under legal guardianship, and is not involved in the lawsuit.
The brothers are seeking a court ruling on how the late singer's estate, which included music royalties, cash, jewels, and property, should be divided.
During the probate process, the Franklin family could not reach an agreement, which resulted in a trial.
Don Wilson, a Los Angeles-based Hollywood lawyer representing Franklin for nearly three decades, told NBC News that the dispute could have been averted if Franklin had followed his advice to create a will and trust before her death.
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